Another Horrible Improbable New Statistic in Trumbull County

By Attorney David Engler

A report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds. More than 5 children die every day as a result of child abuse. Approximately 80% of the children that die from abuse are under the age of 4. And more than 90% of juvenile sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator in some way.

Out of these terrifying statistics there are none documenting the lightning-hitting-the-same-person-twice-odds of a child being sexually abused during a supervised visit at the Children Services Agency and oh, by the way, her older sister was murdered by a foster mother approved and monitored by the same Children Services Agency!

The official response to date has been tepid. It was a combination of how can we stop the sickness of people like the baby’s parents and we-will-ask-the-State-to-review-our-policies boilerplate whitewash.

The Director should voluntarily place himself on administrative leave and the Board, County Commissioners or County Prosecutor should call for a Federal investigation. The Board is a recipient of Federal funding.

To be sure the alleged perpetrators involved in this tragic mess are all broken, poor, with multiple mental health diagnoses, criminal histories, likely victims of abuse themselves and barely literate, if that. But the one clear fact is that the 13 month old little girl was innocent. Now she is an improbable and horrible statistic.